Coming Back
by Writingiswhatiam
Summary: Emma Nelson is twentyeight, heartbroken and the mother of two children when she returns to her Canadian hometown, where she runs into old friends. When she does, worlds colide. Completed.
1. Prologue

This is my second story of this genre, but it is much different than my others. I hope you like. Before you read, you will need to know some background information. I will give it to you here. Background information:  
  
Emma Nelson has a master's degree in Child Psychology, and at one time, worked as a school counselor. She gave it up when she married Spinner Mason. She's twenty eight. She has two children, Brock and Vanessa.  
  
Spinner Mason: A prominent lawyer with his own law firm and an adorable son, Brock, and a daughter named Vanessa who's seven. He's married to Emma Nelson, who kept her maiden name.  
  
Sean Cameron: A mechanic, who took over Trackers business when he died in a tragic car accident the year after Sean graduated from high school. He married Ellie and had a daughter named Emily, who is seven. Ellie killed herself a year after Emily was born.  
  
Manny Santos: moved away for a year after high school, then came back and fell in love with Craig. They are married, but Manny has a son named Alexander. He's not Craig's, but Craig claims him as his own. She's a stay- at-home mom.  
  
Craig Manning: married Manny Santos after he found out she had a son. He loves Manny and Alexander. He hopes to have a child of his own. He's a photographer for the newspaper.  
  
Paige Nash: Married a Hollywood producer named Jason Steele and became a star. She has no children and has never re-visited Canada.  
  
Many of the students have been estranged from each other for years. When they meet again, worlds will collide, love will be destroyed, love will bloom, and lives will fall apart. Who will make it through the tornado that is about to hit Degrassi? 


	2. Heartbreak

On with the story  
***  
I opened the door to the house that I lived in with my husband, Spinner. I never thought I would fall in love with him, let alone marry him. But given the circumstances I guess it couldn't be avoided.  
"Mommy! Mommy, Brock took my dolly!" my daughter, Vanessa said as she ran up to me.  
"Brock, give your sister her doll," I said around a bag full of groceries.  
Brock threw the doll and hit his sister in the head with it. Vanessa ran upstairs and started crying.  
"Vanessa!" I called after her. I sighed and went into the kitchen. "Honey," I said to Spinner who was sitting at the table over a file and a textbook. "Can you help me a little? I'm trying to bring in the groceries and the kids are fighting."  
"Emma, I'm working," he said.  
If I had a penny for every time he said that sentence I would be a rich woman.  
  
I sighed, "Can you at least go get the other bag of groceries?"  
"Yeah, sure, I'll do it later," he said.  
Another phrase I heard often. I sighed and went to get the bag myself.  
***  
That night, we were eating dinner. It was unusually quiet, but Brock had been severely scolded for fighting with his sister earlier and hadn't really spoken since. Vanessa hardly ever talked when Spinner was around. And Spinner hardly ever talked when his cell phone wasn't at his ear.  
Speaking of the damned phone, it started to ring in the middle of dinner. He answered it. "Is it that important?" he paused, "Okay, I'll be there in about five minutes," he said. He hung up and stood up from the table.  
"Honey, we're in the middle of supper," I said.  
"Emma, its work...I have to go," he said.  
I sighed, "Fine, I'll see you later."  
***  
It was about eleven o'clock at night, and the kids were in bed. I was awake, waiting for Spinner, but I knew he wouldn't be back for at least three more hours. I sighed and opened the door of our walk-in closet in our bedroom. I was looking for a t-shirt to sleep in. I pulled a shirt off the hanger, and the hanger swung up and knocked something off of Spinners shelf.  
It was a box that had 'PRIVATE' written on it. I opened it up and saw pictures of a woman. I recognized her as Sylvia, his secretary. There were pictures of them together, of them making love...my heart was breaking as I rummaged through the box. I found a letter. The handwriting looked angry and passionate.  
My dearest Spinner,  
I cannot wait until you are here with me again. When are you going to leave that bitch? You promised me, Spin, you swore on your love for me. I know you love me. Why do you stay with her? Please, come back here to my apartment where we can be together all night long. I love you.  
Your lover, Sylvia.  
Tears were streaming down my cheeks now. I was fed up, it all made sense now. Spinner has been cheating on me. That's why he works so much. That's why he leaves in the middle of dinner, or the middle of the night to 'go to work'. I picked the box up, pulled a suitcase down from the shelf and walked out of the closet. I set the suitcase and the box on our bed. God had he been with her in our house?  
Tears were falling harder as I packed clothes into the suitcase. I went to the kids rooms and silently packed their clothes, too. After that, I went back to the bedroom. I began to put some more clothes in my suitcase, when Spinner came in.  
"What are you doing?" he asked me.  
"What does it look like I'm doing?" I asked bitterly. "I'm leaving."  
"Emma, don't do this," he said.  
"Don't do this," I almost screamed but didn't because of the children. "What about what you did?"  
"What are you talking about?" he asked.  
"This is what I'm talking about," I said, throwing the box at him.  
"Emma...I..." he started to say.  
"Spinner, shut up. I'm sick and tired of hearing your excuses," I said, pushing past him to take the suitcases to the car.  
I opened the back door to my Jeep and threw the suitcases in it. I ran upstairs to Vanessa's room and gently woke her up.  
"Come on, Vanessa, say goodbye to daddy, you won't be seeing him for awhile," I said as she got out of bed. I went to Brocks room and carried him downstairs and fastened him in his car seat with his teddy bear and blanket. Vanessa climbed in the passenger seat and we drove off. 


	3. Home

Please Read and Review this story. Sorry for the short chapter.

"Mommy," Vanessa said quietly as we crossed the border, leaving New York.  
"Yes, sweetie," I said.  
"Why are we leaving?"  
"Because, honey, Mommy needs some time to think," I said.  
"Where are we going?"  
"Back to my hometown. Do you want to see Granny and Grandpa?"  
She nodded and fell back to sleep.

It was four in the morning when I finally arrived at Mom and Simpson's house. I left the kids in the car as I rang the doorbell.  
Mom opened the door sleepily, took one look at me and knew what had happened. She carried Brock in as I picked Vanessa up. She woke up Snake and tucked the kids into her bed.  
"Mom," I said, almost crying. "I can't believe he did this to me."  
"I'm so sorry, honey," she said, putting her arms around me.  
"He was having an affair...for four years, Mom...since Brock was born!" I said, crying into her arms.  
"Sh, sh," she said calmingly. "It's alright, I'm glad you came home."

"I want a divorce, mom," I said. "I'm getting a divorce and I'll clean him of every penny he has. We'll see how much 'Sylvia' wants him then!"

The next day, Mom agreed to watch the kids, while I tried to find a job. I didn't have any luck. In fact, the only place that was hiring was the Auto Mechanics Shop. Like I really wanted to work there, but they were asking for a secretary. I pulled into the driveway of the Auto Mechanics Shop and walked into the garage.

"Excuse me," I called.

"Coming!" I heard a guy say. He was under the hood of a car, working on it. He came out, wiping his hands on a dirty rag. He was tall, muscular, but lean, and shirtless. He looked really familiar, too. "Can I help you?"

"Yeah, I'm here replying to the ad I saw in the newspaper," I said.

"Okay, follow me," he said.

"Sean?" I asked, finally realizing who he was.

"Yeah, that's my name," he said.

I laughed. "No, that's not what I mean...I'm Emma, remember? From DCS?"

"Emma? What brought you back here?" he asked. "It's really good to see you again."

"It's good to see you too. Let's just say that things aren't going great for me and I really need this job."

"Alright, since you're an old friend, I'll give you the job. No questions asked."

"Thank you so much!" I said hugging him impulsively.


	4. Come today

***  
"So, I got a job as a secretary, Sean said I could start Monday, that gives me the weekend to find an apartment or something," I told Mom as we fixed dinner.  
"Don't be silly," she said. "You'll stay here for as long as you need."  
"I don't want to impose," I replied, continuing to chop vegetables.  
"Honey, that is crazy. You know that you're not imposing."  
I smiled, "Thanks, Mom."  
"What we do need to do is work out sleeping arrangements," she said. "Emma, your old bed is still in the basement and there's a hospital bed that we got for Snake when was doing chemo last year. We moved it down to the basement when he went into remission. The kids can sleep down there with you. Would that be alright?"  
"That would be great, thank you," I answered.  
***  
I tucked my children into bed and turned the nightlight on. I went upstairs to talk with Mom and Snake.  
"Honey, do you mind telling us what happened? How long has your marriage been in trouble?" Mom asked as we drank tea and sat at the kitchen table.  
"Since Brock was born. He was late getting to the hospital, when I asked him where the hell he was at, he said, 'Emma I was working.' He said that every time I asked him something. It became so sickening, he was always being called in and coming home late. I found a box of pictures and letters from his secretary. They were love letters. I packed our things and came here."  
"Honey, I'm so sorry you had to be put through that. I really am," she said.  
"I know, Mom. I never want to see him again."  
***  
The next day, I was at the grocery store getting some food for a cook- out that Mom, Simpson, the kids and I was going to have that day. That is when I ran into Sean in the fruits and veggie's aisle.  
"Hey, Cameron," I said with a smile.  
"Hi, Nelson," he joked back.  
"What are you doing here?" I asked.  
"Oh...just trying to figure out a way to get my daughter to eat vegetables. She's impossible when it comes to what's healthy for her," he said, laughing.  
"Sounds like a certain curly haired bad-boy I know," I laughed.  
"Yeah, I know," he said.  
"Well, why don't you bring your family to Mom's house for a cook-out at three o'clock," I said. "Maybe she'll eat veggie's if their grilled."  
"It's worth a shot," he said.  
"Good, can't wait to see you there."  
*** 


	5. Tonight

Special thanks to Seanluvr (hope I spelled that right) for being my first reviewer. Please e-mail me if you have any questions about sneak- peaks (yes, I give sneak-peaks to people who e-mail me) ( I really hope you enjoy this story and, as always, please r&r. This chapter gets kind of graphic. Please do not judge me by this, it is an important stepping stone and I'm sorry if it is boring. I will use this () for flashbacks.

Sean Cameron opened the door to his duplex apartment, and let his Springer Spaniel, Percy, run outside. The babysitter, Jane, came out of the living room.

"Thanks, again, for doing this for me, Jane," Sean said, paying the teenager.

"Anytime, actually...Emily wants to spend the night. Would that be okay"

"Alright, let me get her things," he said, giving his daughter a hug and kiss goodnight.

Manny Santos walked into her house and saw her husband, Craig, sitting on the couch with her son Alexander. They were watching cartoons.

"Hey guys," she said, smiling.

"Hi, honey," Craig said, standing up and greeting her with a kiss.

"Miss me?"

"You bet."

"Well, that's good, because I plan on cooking a nice, big dinner for the three of us tonight," Manny said, wrapping her arms around Craig's neck.

"Aw, honey, I'm sorry...I promised the guys we would watch the game at Steve's house," Craig said.

"Can't you cancel?" Manny asked.

"I promised, in fact, I have to get going now," he said, kissing her and rushing out the door.

She sighed and sat down next to Alexander on the couch. "Well, buddy, I guess it's just you and me tonight"

Sean pulled up outside of the Nelson-Simpson residence and parked the car. He found the family in the backyard.

"Hey, Sean, how have you been?" Spike asked, giving him a warm, welcoming hug.

"I'm good, how have you been?" He asked.

"I've been doing really well," she said.

"Sean, I'm glad you came," I said, walking up to him.

"This is my daughter, Vanessa ...and my son Brock should be around here somewhere...he's so mischievous. He takes after his dad...," I stopped.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"Fine, perfect...just a little tired. I haven't slept much lately."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I'm fine. Will you excuse me for a minute?" I asked, politely retreating to the kitchen.

Once inside, I took a deep breath and exhaled. I had to keep myself under control. I had to appear to be fine, for my children's sake, I had to be strong for them. Just then, the phone next to me rang. "Hello," I said, picking it up.

"Emma, it's me," Spinner's voice came from the other end of the line.

"Can we please just talk things out?"

"What is there to talk out? You told her you would leave me, I left you, you slept with her...probably in our own house, I have nothing to say to you," I said bitterly.

"Baby, don't be like that," he said.

"Don't 'baby' me, Spinner. I want a divorce."

"What? No way, we're married. Just come back to New York and everything will be fine. I'll quit seeing her alright? She was just a good time anyway. She doesn't mean anything to me. Just please, baby, come back to me." I held back tears.

"Spin, I loved you. You betrayed me. I can forgive that, but I can't be with you. I'm getting a divorce."

"No, I won't let you tear our family apart like that," he was getting angry. A few tears escaped my eyes.

"I didn't tear our family apart, Spin, you did." I hung up the phone. I leaned against the counter, trying to control the tears that stung my eyes.

"Emma, are you okay?" I heard a deep voice come from behind me. I turned quickly to face Sean.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just going through some trouble with Spinner."

"Anything I can help you with?" he asked.

"Actually, do you mind if we went somewhere where we could talk?" I asked. "Spike wanted to spend some time with the kids anyway. Do you mind?"

"Of course I don't," he said. "Come on"

We pulled up at a duplex and walked through the right door. It was a nice house, nicely decorated and really clean.

"You have a really nice house," I said.

"Thanks," he said. We sat down on the couch.

"Do you want something to drink?"

"Do you have any beer?" I asked, half-joking. He laughed.

"Actually, yeah. Would you like one?"

"Please?" I said.

He came back with two bottles of beer and lit a fire in the fireplace. We sat in front of it talking.

"Spinner's been cheating on me. I saw it coming, I guess I just didn't want it to be true," I confessed. "I thought I loved him, but I'm not sure I ever did."

"can I ask you something?" he asked after a few moments of silence.

"Sure, go ahead." "Did you ever think there was any hope for us?" he asked.

"Yeah, I always wanted there to be. But things happened, we grew apart, somehow. I guess that happens all the time." He kissed me, gently at first, then harder. As if pleading. My head screamed for him to stop, but my heart overruled it. or was it my body? It didn't matter now, because he was going further. I loved him more than anyone else in the world. I didn't want to be with anyone else. Sean was the only one for me,always had been, and I knew it, at that moment. I kissed him, wanting him to comfort me. I wanted to feel the way we had that night, the night before Spinner proposed. It felt exactly the same. The urgency of his mouth...or was it mine? I couldn't even tell the difference anymore as our two body's became one.

The next morning, I awoke in Sean's arms. I sat up, quietly got dressed and tip-toed out. I walked home and sneaked into the basement window, like Sean and I used to do when we were younger.

Well, what do you think? Please tell me in your review. I hope you liked this chapter, but please don't flame me if you didn't. I appreciate constructive criticism. But not flames.

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	6. Atermath

Thank you for the reviews. I'm sort of stuck about where to go from here, but if you have any suggestions, please let me know. Oh, and it occurs to me that I messed up on Paige's last name, I'm sorry about that. That part was originally going to be Ellie's but I switched it to Paige because it sounded more likely. Sorry for any confusion. And to Carrissa (hope I spelled that right) Alexander's dad is, well, a mystery....just kidding. When Manny left for a year after high school, she went to California and met a guy. His name was Alex, hence Alexander's name. Also, some people might be out of character in this story, but its like 15 years later so people change, right?  
***  
"How late did you get in last night/' Mom asked when I went upstairs for breakfast.  
"Late," I replied, not wanting to talk about it. what had I been thinking? Had I gone crazy? I'm still married....I just cheated on my husband.  
"Uh-huh," she said, taking a drink of coffee.  
"Spinner refuses to give me a divorce," I said. "And, since we were married in New York, I'll have to go back there to get it done."  
"There's really no rush on it though," she said. "It's not like your going to go back to him right?"  
"No way," I said. "The only reason I married him was because..." I stopped.  
"Why did you marry him, Emma?" Mom asked me.  
I was silent. I felt arms fling themselves around my legs. "Hi, Brock," I smiled. Saved by the kid.  
***  
Manny sat at her kitchen table. Alexander was asleep and Craig hadn't gotten back yet. He did that often. He would go out with his friends and wouldn't come back all night. When he finally did come back, he was staggering drunk. It was sad really, but it was his life.  
Just then, Manny heard Craig come through the front door. "Speak of the devil," she mumbled. "Hey, honey. Did you have fun?"  
"Yeah, I did," he said. He was drunk. It was obvious, his words slurred awfully and he could hardly walk.  
"Good," she said.  
"Where's breakfast?" he asked.  
"It's two o'clock in the afternoon, Craig. We had breakfast over four hours ago," she said. "I'm sorry you missed it."  
"Well, what about lunch?"  
"When Alex wakes up," she said.  
"I want to eat now," he was getting angry.  
"Then fix yourself a sandwich. I have to get to the store," she said.  
  
He slapped her. "Don't talk to me like that," he yelled angrily.  
"Craig, you're drunk. Go sleep it off, I'll be back in an hour," she said to him, standing her ground.  
"I'm not drunk," he lied. "And don't tell me what to do. Now fix me a sandwich."  
"Fix it yourself," she said.  
He grabbed her arm and threw her against the wall. "I said don't talk to me like that!"  
She sighed, and fixed him a ham and cheese sandwich. Then she woke Alexander up and went to the store.  
***  
I walked through the video store, looking for a movie that Brock and Vanessa would equally enjoy, but that was hard to do. A really pretty woman of Hispanic origin caught my eye. Her hair was long and black and she had a little boy with her. "Manny?" I asked.  
"Emma?" she said.  
"Hi, how are you?" I asked, hugging her.  
"I'm good, how are you?" she asked me, running her hands through her long hair.  
"I'm doing well," I said. "Who's this handsome fella?"  
"Alexander, how is Vanessa? Is she still an only child?" She asked.  
"No, she has a little brother now. His name's Brock, he's four. He's exactly like his Dad," I said, rolling my eyes.  
"Really? Poor guy," she laughed. "So, did Spinner come back with you?"  
"Uh, no...we're no longer together," I told her.  
"Oh, I'm so sorry. What happened?" she asked.  
"It's alright, things just didn't work out. He decided he liked his secretary more," I said bitterly.  
"Ouch," she said. "Have you seen Sean?"  
"Yeah I've seen him," that was understatement, I thought. "I'm actually working for him now."  
"That's cool. Did you hear about Ellie?"  
"What about Ellie?"  
"You didn't know? Ellie and Sean got married," she said.  
Oh god, please don't tell I slept with a married man, I thought.  
"But she killed herself a year after Emily was born," she finished.  
"Oh my God," I said. "That's awful. Poor Sean."  
"Yeah, I know," she said. She ran her hands through her hair and something caught my eye. She had a bruise across her cheek.  
"What happened?" I asked.  
She seemed to get nervous, "Oh, Craig and I were fighting and I went to storm off and I ran right into a wall. It's actually quite funny."  
I laughed lightly, half believing her. "Well, I'm trying to find a movie that Brock and Vanessa will both enjoy, but that's almost impossible."  
"Try the Princess and the Goblin," she suggested. "It has enough action for him, but enough enchantment for her."  
"Thanks," I said.  
"No problem, call me sometime. We'll hang out."  
***  
Well, I hope you liked this chapter. There will be more coming. 


	7. Dad

Just a quick authors note before I begin the chapter. It's really hard for me to right in third person, so if I slip up in a part that's not Emma's (because Emma's is written in first person) please bear with me. I'm trying really hard to write Manny's part in third person, so if I slip up and go into first person don't shoot me! Lol, on with the chapter.  
***  
I walked into work on Monday morning, unsure of what to expect. I hadn't talked to Sean since we...well, anyways, I didn't know what he would think of me now.  
"Hey," he said when I came in.  
"Hey," I said.  
"Listen, about the other night..."  
"Don't worry about it," I said quickly.  
"Oh," he answered. "I was hoping we could do it again sometime."  
I stared at him.  
He started laughing. "No, I mean, I was hoping we could hang out again sometime."  
I laughed, "Sure, I would enjoy that."  
***  
That night, Vanessa wasn't feeling very sleepy. So she stayed up with me while Brock went to bed. We were upstairs watching a movie. I guess that was the first time I realized how much she looked like her dad. She looked almost exactly like him with that curly dirty-blond hair and angelic face.  
"It's funny," Mom said from behind me. "She doesn't look a thing like Spinner."  
"I know it," I said. "They couldn't look more different."  
"Mommy, I'm tired now," she said.  
"Alright, go on to bed, I'll be down in a minute to tuck you in," I said as she scurried off.  
Mom sat down next to me, "But the funny thing is that she doesn't look like you, either."  
"What are you getting at?" I asked.  
"I'm just saying, I wonder who she takes after if she doesn't look like you or like Spinner."  
"Maybe she looks like you," I said.  
She shook her head. "She's not Spinner's daughter is she?"  
"Mom," I said. "What kind of person do you think I am?"  
"Emma, I'm not judging you. Who's her father?"  
I sighed. "No, she's not Spinners'."  
"I didn't think so, she's too sweet to be Spinners'," Mom joked. "I don't mean to upset you, honey, I just wanted you to be honest with me."  
"I'm not upset, and I am being honest with you."  
"So, who's the lucky guy?"  
"I don't know," I lied.  
***  
Manny walked back into her house. Craig was sitting on the couch, now sober.  
"Manny, baby, I am so sorry," he said.  
"Alex, honey, why don't you go upstairs and play with your toys?" she said to Alexander.  
After he had gone upstairs, Manny said, "Craig, its fine. Just don't do it again."  
"No, it's not okay, Manny," he said, putting his arms around her to hug her. "I have something for you."  
"What?" she asked.  
He went into the kitchen and came out with a dozen orange roses. "Orange roses? Craig, those are my favorite. They're so hard to find, where did you get them?"  
"A man has to have his secrets," he said.  
"I love them, thank you," she said. "I have to go put this stuff up in the bathroom, so I'll be back in a few minutes."  
Manny ran upstairs, shut the bathroom door and locked it. She took out the pregnancy test and held her breath as she took it and waited impatiently. She was pacing back and forth in the floor, trying to keep herself calm; it wasn't working. Finally, the timer went off and she looked at the test.  
Her breath caught in her throat, her heart seemed to stop beating. It was positive. She put her hand over her mouth to keep from crying out. She was pregnant.  
***  
When I arrived at Mom's house, I was so tired, I hardly noticed the car sitting in the drive way. When I opened the door, I stopped in my tracks.  
"Spinner, what are you doing here?" I demanded.  
"I had to see my kids," he said.  
"I want to talk to you outside, right now," I said.  
He followed me onto the porch. "What is your problem?"  
"You're supposed to be in New York," I said. "I don't want you here, leave."  
"I'm not leaving. I'm moving back."  
"No," I said. "You can't, I'm finally getting my life back together. I'm working again. Do you know how good that makes me feel? You can't just come back and ruin things."  
"I just want to be around my kids," he said.  
"Well, you've seen them. Now go home."  
"I am home."  
"No, you're not. New York is your home, you said so the day we moved there."  
"I changed my mind."  
"Like you changed your mind about me, right?"  
"It wasn't like that, Emma," he said.  
"I don't care, Spinner. I want you to leave. Now," I said harshly.  
"And I said I'm not leaving," he grabbed my wrist tightly.  
I slapped him. "You get out of here, and I mean now. Or I will beat you within an inch of your life if you don't stay the hell away from my kids." *** What did you think? Say so in your review. 


	8. I need you

***  
Manny went down stairs to talk to Craig.  
"Craig, I have something to tell you," she said.  
"Okay, what?" he said.  
"I'm pregnant."  
He looked shocked. "Wow," he said.  
Manny was scared. She didn't know if this was a good thing or a bad thing.  
"That's great," he said, throwing his arms around her.  
"Are you sure?" she asked.  
"Yeah, why wouldn't it be?" he pulled away.  
"Well, I mean, with you losing your temper the way you did earlier, I just think you need...counseling or something."  
"I'm sorry, it was the booze. It wasn't me. You know I would never hurt you on purpose," he said.  
"I know," she answered slowly.  
***  
Spinner left angry. But that was just too bad; he did this, not me. He was the one who cheated on me and he was the one who kept it a secret. So he was the one who tore our family apart. I sighed and went to bed.  
***  
Paige opened the door to her mansion. She smiled and went to the kitchen. "Rose," she said to the main maid. "Could you serve me dinner in my room tonight? I'm really tired and Jason has had to fly to Paris."  
"Yes, Mrs. Steele. Dinner will be served at six o'clock in your room. What would you like?"  
"Whatever you had planned is fine, you know me. I can never make up my mind," Paige said, retreating to her room.  
The bedroom was lavish, done in white with gold trim. There was an enormous vanity that was made of solid gold, with tons and tons of make-up neatly organized on it. the huge walk-in closet housed many, many fancy clothes in which Paige wore to the parties her and husband often attended.  
She lay down on her canopy bed, happy that it was hers. Of course her husbands' room was separate; the masculine Jason Steele would never approve of sleeping in such a feminine room.  
She turned on the television, but couldn't find anything to watch. She settled on a soap opera. "Ah, this is the life," she said.  
Just then, the phone next to her rang. "Hello," she answered.  
"Hey, Paige, it's me," the voice from the other line said.  
"Who?"  
"Spinner," he said. "I need you now."  
"Spinner, I thought we had things settled. We weren't going to see each other again."  
"Emma left me, she found out about my affair. I need you."  
"Why do you need me?" she asked.  
"Because I could always talk to you."  
"So talk," she said.  
"It's not the same. I need to see you, to be with you."  
"Spinner, I'm married."  
"Since when has that ever made a difference? You know he doesn't treat you the way you deserve. When was the last time you had a meal together? I bet it was a long time ago, right?"  
he was right. "Yeah, it was."  
"So you'll come? I'm in Canada."  
"Canada? You know I don't want to go back there."  
"For me, please?"  
"Fine, I'll get on the Steele Jet and I'll be there as soon as I can."  
***  
Sorry for the short chapter, but I'm going to go spend time with my family. My 1 and a half year old cousin is staying the night and she's begging for my attention. LOL. I hope you enjoyed it, I will write more soon. 


	9. Oh no

I am so sorry for the long wait. My computer broke down, and then we had to move and then I had to reinstall everything. Anyway, I will be updating at my regular pace from now on and I hope you guys continue to read my story. And I know the odds of Spinner and Emma marrying are about zero but that's the point. The next few chapters may be short until I get back into the flow of things so bear with me. And I'm not a particular Manny and Craig fan, but it's the only one that worked.  
  
I sat at the office desk, still feeling a little awkward about what had happened between Sean and me. But I knew I could handle it, but with Spinner being around I would be on the edge. I had to avoid him, and I had to keep him away from my kids. I hated him for cheating on me and making me miserable by sticking me in an unhappy marriage.  
"Earth to Emma," Sean was saying.  
"Sorry," I said. "What were you saying?"  
"I was asking you if you would like to have dinner with me tonight. My daughter is with Ellie's mom," he said.  
"Oh, I would love to. Mom said she wanted to take the kids shopping tonight anyway," I said.  
"Great, I can't wait."  
  
I was unusually nervous. I didn't want to rekindle my feelings for him because that would hurt everybody involved. Sean picked me up and we went to his house.  
"What are we doing here?" I asked, not wanting a repeat of what happened the last time we were alone at his house.  
"It's a surprise," he said, taking my hand.  
He put his hands over my eyes when we entered the house. When he took them off, we were standing in the kitchen. He had a beautiful dinner-for- two set up.  
"Aw, this is so sweet, Sean," I said, hugging him.  
He smiled and pulled out a chair for me. "I hope your hungry."  
"Famished," I answered.  
"Good, because we're going fun tonight."  
  
Manny sat at the top of the stairs. Craig hadn't come home in three days and she was worried about him. He promised her that he would quit doing this when he found out about the baby. She sighed and held back tears when she heard the door open and close and Craig came up the stairs.  
"Where have you been?" She asked.  
"Out," he said, walking past her.  
She sighed and stood up. "I'm not going to take this anymore, Craig! I'm sick of this! You said you would stop, and you haven't and you don't need to talk to me like I am a dog."  
"Manny, I don't. I didn't mean to...I'm sorry," he said.  
"DO you even know how long you've been gone?"  
"Two hours, what's the big deal?"  
"What's the big deal? Craig, you've been gone for three days! What were you doing?"  
"It's none of your business!"  
"I'm your wife! Do you even register that? Do you even remember that you married me and that we have a baby on the way?" she screamed at him.  
"Stop screaming at me," he said.  
Mr. Manning was standing in the hallway, screaming at Craig. He had found pictures of Angela...he wouldn't stop screaming...  
"No," Manny continued to yell. "You did this to yourself! I'm not doing this anymore!"  
"STOP!" he screamed, slapping her so hard she lost her balance and fell down the stairs. She lay on the floor, unconscious. 


	10. Tragedy

Yes, I am back. And again, I am so sorry. I have a lot of surprises in for you guys. When I started this story, I didn't know what exactly was going to happen. Now I do. And let me tell you, it is a whole lotta drama. Come on, people, review! And tell me what you think.  
  
Paige knocked on Spinners hotel room door. He answered; she looked around and stepped in.  
"What do you want this time?" she asked him.  
"I wanted to talk to you," he answered.  
"Yeah, right," she said. "How much money do you need?"  
"One grand," he said.  
She sighed, and pulled out her checkbook. "Jason doesn't know I've been doing this, Spin."  
"And he won't know, at least if I get my money."  
She wrote out the check and handed it to him.  
"A deal is a deal right?"  
"Yes, a deal is a deal," Spinner said.  
"Good, so stay away from our baby."  
  
Craig rushed Manny to the hospital. A ton of things were rushing through his mind? What had he been thinking? He went through the periodical procedures and got Manny seen.  
"I have to call somebody," he picked up the pay phone.  
  
During the middle of dinner, I heard my cell phone ring. "I'm sorry, Sean, but it's from Manny. It could be important," I said. I answered the phone.  
"Come quick! Manny fell down the stairs. She...she needs you right now," Craig said urgently.  
"I'll be right there," I said, hanging up.  
"What's wrong?" Sean asked.  
"Manny fell down the stairs. She's in the emergency room."  
  
Spinner grabbed Paige's arm. "You wont tell Emma right?"  
"What reason do I have to talk to Emma?" she said snootily, pulling away.  
"I know you, Paige. You're claws come out if any one threatens you."  
"Do I look like I feel threatened?"  
"No."  
"Good, then. Like I said, leave Maria alone. Or else."  
  
We sat in the emergency room. I was so furious with Craig. I knew he had done this to her. But I couldn't bear to mention it he looked so torn up.  
"Tell us again, Craig, what happened?" Sean asked, as if reading my mind.  
"We were fighting, and she went to walk away. I grabbed her arm so we could talk. She pulled away and lost her balance," he said.  
I eyed him skeptically. "Uh-huh," was all I said.  
He returned the cold stare. I felt Sean squeeze my hand. Had we been holding hands? "everything will be alright," he whispered in my ear.  
"I hope so," I whispered back.  
"Mr. Manning," the doctor came out. "Your wife is fine."  
"Thank God," the three of us said in unison.  
"However, we couldn't save the baby. I'm so sorry," he said.  
A distant look came over Craig's eyes. "Can I see her?"  
"I'm afraid not. She asked for Emma," he said.  
"That's me. Could you show me where she's at please?" I followed the doctor.  
He led me to the room and then left. "Hey," I said weakly.  
"Hi," she said. She sounded so sad. I sat down next to her.  
"Are you alright?" I asked.  
"I lost the baby," she said. Her eyes filled up with tears and she wiped them away with the back of her hand.  
"I know," I said softly. "The doctor told us."  
"Us?"  
"Craig, Sean and me," I said.  
"Oh," she said.  
"Craig did this, didn't he?" I asked.  
"It was an accident, I guess."  
"You guess?" I said. "What happened?"  
"He had been gone for a few days without even a phone call or a note. When he got back I was really mad and we started fighting. He didn't mean to hit me," she said.  
"I believe you," I said. "Is there anything I can do?"  
"No. Emma, how am I going to get through this?" she asked me.  
"I don't know, Manny. I just don't know," I said. 


	11. Stalker

I'm sorry for the short chapter, but if I get more reviews (lol) I will eventually go back to longer chapters. Oh, and I remember somebody asking me how Sean felt when Ellie killed herself. You'll find out soon.  
  
"Hey, Mom! Guess what?" I said.  
"You got the apartment?" she asked.  
"Yes! I did," I said. "It's so awesome, Mom."  
"Honey, I'm so happy for you!" she said.  
"Thanks," I said.  
  
"so that's the last box?" Sean asked me.  
"Yeah it is. Thank you so much for helping me," I said.  
"Hey, anytime," he put his arms around me.  
I smiled. "Want to stay for dinner?" I asked.  
"Who can say no to food?"  
  
Manny sat on the couch drinking a cup of coffee. She looked like a zombie. She was still upset over losing the baby.  
"Craig," she said calmly. "You need help. I'm sorry for saying that, but you do."  
"I don't need help. I can do it myself," he said.  
"If you don't get help, I will leave you."  
"I DON'T NEED HELP! Why would I need help?" he bellowed.  
"Because you made me lose our baby!" She screamed back at him. "How could you? How could you do this to me and still claim you love me?" she was crying now.  
"Manny, I'm sorry," he held her. "I'll call right now."  
He picked up the phone.  
  
I sat on the couch, reading a book. The kids had gone to bed, happy to have their own rooms again, and I wasn't tired yet. I heard a knock the door. I looked at my watch, who would be here at midnight? I sighed and opened the door. Nobody was there. I locked the door and sat back down. Then I heard knocking at the window. "Emma, it's just your imagination," I repeated over and over.  
The phone rang and it made me jump. "Hello?" I said, picking it up. Nobody was there. I was starting to get scared so I turned on the living room light. That's when I saw a figure run in front of the window.  
I called the police.  
"Ma'am, we've searched your grounds twice and we've found nothing," the cop said.  
"But I saw something. It knocked on the door, then the window and then the phone rang. When I turned on the light there was something out there!"  
he picked the bottle of champagne up. "How much of this did you have?"  
"Two glasses."  
"That's why the whole bottle is gone?" he asked.  
"I had a guest over earlier, if it's any of your business, which it isn't!"  
"There's nothing here."  
  
Paige was fed up. She was leaving. But the clouds endangered her chance. She heard someone at her door, and wondered who would be there so late. She answered it.  
"Jason! Hi, honey, how are you?" she asked her husband, throwing her arms around him.  
"I'm good. I was just wondering why you left."  
"I had some business to take care of but its over know, thank God! I'm so happy to see you."  
"We'll leave tomorrow morning. I'm tired."  
"You read my mind." 


	12. Alexander is that you?

Thank you for the reviews. I am going to continue. You guys have no idea what's coming.  
  
The next night, Sean and I were sitting at my kitchen table. "And they said no one was there?"  
"Yes. I've gotten three more calls, and today, this came in the mail," I said, handing the letter to him.  
He read it. "Oh gosh, this guy is demented," he said.  
"Yeah I know. I don't know what to do."  
"Do you want me to stay with you tonight?"  
"Would you?" I asked.  
"Of course," he said. "Emily loves playing with Vanessa."  
  
Paige and Jason were at the airport. There was an awful storm that had cancelled all flights.  
"You're telling me that we're stuck here?" Jason was saying.  
"Yes, Mr. Steele. It's too dangerous to risk going out in this weather," the pilot said.  
"I have to get to California," he said.  
"The roads leaving the country are closed and the airlines are closed too. You'll have to leave in the morning."  
"Come on, baby, lets go get something to eat," Paige said, putting a hand on her husband's shoulder.  
They left the airport and headed to a restaurant.  
  
"Manny, let me take you out to dinner tonight," Craig said.  
"Since when do you want to take me anywhere?" she asked.  
"I love you, Manny," he said, hugging her. "Let me do it."  
"Alright, lets go. Do you want Alex to come with?"  
"Sure," he said.  
She hesitated. "Something tells me he shouldn't come. Do you think Joey would watch him?"  
"Sure."  
  
It was ten o'clock now, and Sean and I sat in front of the fireplace talking and drinking pink lemonade.  
"I'm just so afraid Spinner is going to get custody over Brock," I said.  
"Well I'm sure he won't. The court favors the mother. What about Vanessa?"  
"What about her?" I asked.  
"Wouldn't he try to get custody over her too?"  
"No. That's not going to be a problem," I answered, taking a drink.  
"Oh, I see," he said.  
"Spinner isn't Vanessa's father," I told him.  
"Does he know?"  
"Spinner or her dad?"  
"Both."  
"I think Spinner knows but he hasn't said anything. He's not listed on her birth certificate and I'm sure he doesn't care. As for Vanessa's father, I've never told him," I said.  
"Who is he?" Sean asked.  
My heart went weak. "This guy I used to know it just sort of happened."  
"Was it a mistake? Do you regret it?"  
"No, it was one of the only thing's I've done right. I'll never regret it."  
  
Paige and Jason were seated at the table in front of Manny and Craig.  
  
"Oh, hi you guys!" Paige said with false enthusiasm. "This is my husband, Jason."  
"Hi," Craig said.  
"Manny, this is..."  
Manny cut her off. "Alexander?" she asked.  
  
Betchya didn't see that coming. Review and tell me what you think. 


	13. Mistake

Wow, thirteen chapters. This is a record for me.  
  
"I'm sorry," Jason said nervously. "You must have me confused with someone else."  
"You bastard," she cried. "Why haven't you come to see your son? Don't you care that you have a child!"  
"Manny, is this Alex's dad?" Craig asked.  
"Yes," Manny said through tears.  
"Honey, what is she talking about?" Paige asked.  
"Nothing, baby. She's delusional, let's get out of here."  
They got up to leave, but Manny followed Jason and Craig followed Manny.  
"Alexander! Don't you dare walk away from me. Not again," she caught up with him outside.  
"Manny, I told you. He's a mistake and I don't want anything to do with him," Jason said cold-heartedly.  
"You can ignore me, but don't do this to him. He doesn't deserve this," she said.  
"He's a mistake! I wish you would have gotten the abortion like I told you to!" Jason yelled.  
Manny flew at him, scratching and kicking and slapping. It took Paige and Craig to pull her off. "My son is NOT a mistake!" she screamed.  
"Jason, baby, lets go," Paige pulled Jason away, mouthing the words 'I'm sorry' to Craig and Manny.  
"Craig, my baby is not a mistake," Manny said, crying in Craig's arms.  
  
"Sean, I have to tell you something," I said.  
"Okay, what?"  
"Uh..." I stopped. I couldn't tell him. "I'm tired, I think I'll go to bed now."  
"She's mine, isn't she?" he asked.  
My breath caught in my throat. "Sean...I..."  
"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked. "Why didn't you tell me I had a daughter?"  
"Sean, I was scared okay? I was twenty-one, I wanted to live a little. We had that one-night-stand and then Spinner proposed to me. I didn't find out I was pregnant until after I moved to New York with him. And then it was too late to turn back," I said.  
He blinked back tears. "I didn't marry Ellie until I found out she was pregnant. The night you and I...well, the next day I was going to ask you to marry me but Spinner had beat me to it, I was really upset. And then I came back here and Ellie had wanted to talk about something. One thing led to another and we ended up sleeping together. She came back a few months later and told me about Emily. I had to do the right thing. I'm sorry."  
"I'm sorry for saying yes to Spinner. I figured there wasn't any hope for us."  
"Why would you think there isn't any hope?"  
"Is there?"  
"There always has been. I love you, Emma."  
"Sean, I love you too." I kissed him.  
  
"Jason, do you have a kid with Manny?" Paige asked, trying to stay calm.  
"Baby, it was before I met you. I'm sorry I didn't tell you," He said.  
Paige nodded. She couldn't hold it against him. She'd been keeping a secret from him for years now. She hoped and prayed it wouldn't come out. If it did, it would rock her marriage to the core. 


	14. The Reasons Why

Thank you for all of the good reviews. And I WILL continue the story.  
  
I woke up the next morning. I didn't remember going to bed. I had a pounding headache and my stomach felt awful. I got out of bed, ignoring my growing nausea. I yawned and walked out to the living room. Sean was lying on the couch sound asleep. He looked so cute. He stirred and woke up when I walked in.  
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you," I said.  
"It's alright," he sat up and I sat down on the couch with him. I laid my head down on his shoulder.  
"I feel really sick," I told him.  
"Are you okay? Do you want me to take you to the doctor?" he asked.  
"Nah, I'm fine. I really am. I'm just so tired," I said.  
"You can go back to sleep if you want," he said.  
"Don't I have to work to day?" I asked, yawning.  
"Baby, it's Sunday. The store's not opened on Sunday," he said.  
"Okay," I said. I snuggled up to him and went back to sleep.  
  
Manny had been awake all night. She couldn't sleep; she was too upset. First she had lost her baby, and then the father of her son said he was a mistake. That's enough to drive any one over the edge. When she had gotten home, Craig and her had gone to bed and Manny hadn't moved since. She looked at the alarm clock, it was six thirty. She got out of bed and went downstairs.  
  
Paige had awakened several times during the night; she couldn't stop thinking about her daughter. Tears poured down her cheeks as she remembered what had happened. Paige sat in a wheelchair in the hospital room after giving birth to her daughter. She knew what had to be done.  
"She'll be in a good home, and you can come see her whenever you want," the nurse said, trying to take the baby from her arms.  
"No...I changed my mind! I don't want to do this..." she started sobbing.  
  
"It's too late, Paige. You signed the papers," she said. The nurse had the baby in her arms and was walking away.  
"No! Give me my baby back.... please!" she was screaming and sobbing. That was when her relationship with Spinner had fallen apart.   
Paige felt Jason's arms come around her. "Are you okay, baby?" he asked.  
She wiped her eyes, "I'm fine," she said. She turned so she was facing him.  
"Why are you crying?"  
She shook her head, "I'm okay. I've just been remembering something from my past that's all."  
  
Spinner paced around the room, not knowing what to do. He didn't want Emma back. He had never loved her. He was hurt and angry when he asked her to marry him. He'd never expected her to say yes, but she had. He started to remember what had happened. Paige was hysterical over giving the baby up. They were in his house fighting.  
""Why did you make me do that? She was my flesh and blood! I loved her," she screamed.  
"It wasn't easy for me either!" he yelled back.  
"This is your fault! Why wouldn't you let me keep her!" she was crying her eyes out now.  
"Paige calm down!" he said.  
"No I wont calm down!" she threw a picture of the two of them at him. "It's over, I'm leaving and I never want too see you again!"   
And she had left. Taking his heart with her. And when he went to leave town, he ran into Emma. She was really upset over something. It had just happened. He asked her to marry him and she said yes. They had moved and started a life together, but he knew she had never gotten over Sean. And he had never gotten over Paige. 


	15. It has to be this way

I hope you guys like it so far, if you have any suggestions you can email me ShadyLane2007yahoo.com or mention them in a review.  
  
Sean and I started cleaning and straightening up the house before the kids woke up. I was surprised he didn't hate me for not telling him about Vanessa, but I didn't have a choice. I had explained that to him. I had a burning question I wanted to ask him from the start, and I think we're close enough now for him to tell the truth.  
"Sean?" I asked, rearranging the photos of Brock and Vanessa.  
"Yeah?" he asked, putting the vacuum away.  
"I have a question," I said. I finished folding the blankets and set them at the end of the sofa.  
"Ask away," he said.  
"It's about Ellie..."  
He stopped and sat down on the couch. "What about Ellie?" his voice was hoarse.  
I sat down next to him. "Why did she kill herself?"  
HE blinked back tears. "She'd always been messed up, Emma. She used to cut herself. As she grew up, the depression became worse. I guess she couldn't handle it."  
I put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry," I said.  
He inhaled deeply. "I'm okay. I've gotten over it."  
"Did you love her?" I dared to ask.  
He swallowed and said, "I was starting to. But she would never let me close."  
I held back tears. "And what about me? Did you love me?"  
"Emma," He turned to me. "I loved you from the moment I saw you. In Simpson's class, remember?"  
I nodded.  
He put his hand on the back of my neck. "I wanted to be with you. I didn't want you to think I was only after your body. Is that what you thought?"  
I nodded. "Yes, that's why I said yes to Spinner."  
He hugged me. "I love you."  
"I know, but..."  
"But what?" he asked, pulling back.  
"I don't know what to do. I don't know what to tell Vanessa or Brock about Spinner and me getting a divorce. I don't know how to tell Vanessa that you're her dad. And what about Emily? Are you going to tell her anything? And what about us? Are we going anywhere, or is this just a bad case of unrequited love?"  
"Do you want this to go anywhere?" he asked.  
"You know I do," I answered.  
"Then the rest will fall into place, I promise," he said.  
"I hope so," I said. I opened my mouth to say something but I was interrupted by a small voice saying "Mommy?"  
I turned and saw Vanessa. How long had she been standing there?  
  
"Baby," Paige said to Jason, "I have to go get something. I'll be back in a few."  
"Do you want me to go with you?" he asked.  
"No that's okay, it wont take me very long."  
She walked the short distance to Spinner's room and knocked on the door.  
He answered and let her in.  
"I just wanted to tell you I was leaving," she said.  
"DO you want to leave?"  
"There are too many memories here, Spinner. I can't stay," she started to cry and he put his arms around her.  
"Paige, stay here with me," he pleaded.  
Her eyes flew open; did he still care? "Spinner, after what happened..."  
"I know, I know. I'm sorry about the baby," he said.  
"Jason got Manny pregnant," she confided.  
"He did what?"  
"He said it was before we married, and I believe him, but still, Manny? I can't believe this is happening. My world has been turned upside down. I don't think anything will ever be the same again."  
"Paige," Spinner said, taking a deep breath. "I love you."  
Paige held back tears. "I love you too, Spin, but I have to go."  
"Please," he begged. "Don't leave me again."  
"Don't make this harder than it has to be. You'll be fine, okay? I have to leave, Spinner. I'm married."  
He swallowed hard. "Don't forget what you had with me, okay?"  
"Never," she kissed him for the last time and left. 


	16. It's not fair

Thank you for the AWESOME reviews, they really mean a lot. And thank you to all of my faithful reviewers.  
  
"Vanessa," I said.  
"Mommy? Is daddy not my daddy?" she asked.  
Oh my god, I thought. How do I answer that question? "Baby, it's not what you think," I started toward her.  
"Leave me alone!" she cried, running back to her room and slamming her door.  
I went to open it, but it was locked. "Vanessa, come out of there. Open the door," I demanded.  
"NO!" she yelled.  
"Honey, let me explain," I said desperately.  
"Give her time, Emma," Sean said, coming up behind me.  
"Sean, she hates me," I said, near tears.  
"She doesn't hate you. She's just upset, give her time," he said.  
"She has to know. I have to tell her," I stated.  
"Let me tell her," he asked. "Let me explain it to her."  
"You can try," I said.  
He knocked on the door.  
"Go away!" was the response.  
"Its Sean, can I talk to you, Vanessa?"  
Silence, and then the door opened. "Okay, but just you."  
  
Paige sat in her seat on the plane, fidgeting something awful. Her mind kept flashing back to her daughter, and the reason why she gave her up for adoption.  
"Paige," the doctor said, "You're pregnant."  
"No, that can't be true. We were so careful," she said. "There must be a mistake.:  
"There isn't," he said.  
"Doctor Jennings, I'm twenty-two, this can't happen to me..."  
"It can happen to anyone, Paige. Well, anyone female," he added for comedic relief. It didn't work.  
"We only did it one time," she stated, still in denial.  
"It can happen anytime. Lets talk about your options," he said. "You can have an abortion, but I wouldn't recommend it. After women have abortions, they usually go through an extreme phase of guilt and loss of self-worth. You could give the baby up for adoption, and there are two choices there. You can choose an open adoption, which gives you contact with the child anytime at the parents consent. Or there's closed adoption, in which you can't contact the child until you're eighteen. You could also raise the baby, either way its your choice."  
"I have to talk to Spinner first," she said, still in shock.   
She shifted in her seat, holding back the tears.  
"Paige, we can't raise a baby, we're twenty-two, I just started college," he said.  
"You're not being very supportive, Spinner. It's not your choice," she said.  
"Paige, its my baby too. And I don't want it."  
So she had given the baby up for adoption. She lived with a nice couple in Florida, and they took very good care of her. She had contacted the mother a few times, but she hadn't seen her yet."   
  
Manny sat on the couch, trying to hold back tears. It wasn't working.  
  
"Manny, baby are you okay? I woke up and you weren't there," Craig said sitting next to her.  
"I'm okay," she said, wiping the tears away.  
"No you're not," he told her.  
"Craig," she started to cry harder. "I want my baby back," she tried to stop crying but it became worse. "That poor, innocent baby didn't do anything. And I lost it it's not fair. It's just not fair!"  
"Oh, baby, I'm so sorry," he took her in his arms and tried to comfort her. "It's my fault. I'm so, so sorry."  
"It's okay. It isn't your fault. You come from a hard background, I understand. It's not anyone's fault. I just, I couldn't help but think that the baby was going to help us grow closer again and now, it can't."  
"I think it has," he said.  
She looked up at him, "Craig, do you still love me?"  
"Yes, I love you, Manny. I always loved you, and I always will."  
They kissed for the first time in what seemed like years.  
  
"Vanessa, I know this must be hard on you, but will you let me explain?" Sean asked, sitting down on her bed.  
She sniffed. "Uh-huh."  
"Your mom and I used to date back when we were in high school. I really loved her. One night, before she was going to marry Spinner, we said goodbye and that's how you...came to be. Its hard to explain really."  
"Why didn't you ever come see me? Didn't you want me?" she asked.  
His heart melted. "Oh, sweetie I would have loved to have come and saw you. But I didn't know about you. I hadn't talked to Emma in almost eight years. But you shouldn't be mad at your mom. She only did what she thought was best for you."  
She nodded, "I know, I know."  
"Okay."  
"Daddy?" she said to him.  
"Yes?" he asked, thinking of how beautiful his daughter was.  
"I love you," she threw her arms around him in a hug.  
"I love you too."  
  
The nausea in my stomach came back and my head pounded. This time it was worse, I felt like I was going to throw up. Holding my stomach, I made my way to bathroom. But I couldn't do it. My head was spinning. The last thing I remember is falling to the ground. 


	17. New beginnings and quick endings

Thank you for the reviews. I'm sorry if the next few chapters are confusing, and moving sort of fast. I added up the age that Spinner and Emma's daughter should be, and I know that she should be about nine but for plot purposes she's going to be about fourteen.  
  
I stood up as Sean and Vanessa rushed to me.  
"Are you okay?" Sean asked.  
"I'm fine. I tripped, that's all," I lied.  
"Come on, your going to the doctor," he said.  
"No, Sean, I'm fine. Really," I said.  
He sighed heavily. "Be careful."  
  
Jessica Edmonds hurried into the bathroom and changed out of her halter that ended above her pierced belly button and put her tee shirt back on before letting her parents see her. They didn't know what she had become, and she wasn't exactly itching for them to find out, either. She washed her dark make-up off and voila; she was their little girl again. Poor parents, she thought, they don't have a clue what's going on with their own daughter.  
"Mom, Dad! I'm home!" she yelled opening the door after walking home from school.  
"I'm in the kitchen, Jess," her mothers voice called back at her.  
"Hey, Mom," she said. "It's Friday night, and you know since I'm a teenager and everything..." she was rambling, just ask her she thought. "Well, I was wondering if I could go out with 'the girls' tonight?"  
She thought for a minute. "Did you get your report card?"  
She reached in her backpack and handed it to her. "I know, I did do a little badly in Algebra, but its only a C and I will bring it up," she pleaded.  
"Well," Mrs. Edmonds said, "I guess you can go. After dinner."  
She squealed and hugged her mother.  
  
Manny had a sharp twinge of pain in her abdomen, so painful that she cried out.  
"Are you okay?" Craig asked.  
"It hurts," she said weakly, bending at the waist to ease it.  
"We need to get you to the hospital," Craig said. "The doctors said so, remember? It could be something having to do with your miscarriage."  
She nodded solemnly and agreed to go to the hospital.  
  
Paige sat in her bedroom, alone, as always, and thinking of her daughter. She missed her so much. She lives in Florida; she thought to herself, I could go see her. No, that wouldn't be a good idea.  
She thought of what she would look like. Blond hair and blue eyes, like her? Or darker hair, like Spinner? Either way, Paige knew she would be beautiful.  
  
Jessica dressed in an orange halter-top, showing off her belly-button ring that her parents didn't know she had, and a pair of sexy hip-huggers. The outfit hugged her petite but curvy frame perfectly. She put a long coat on over the outfit and zipped it up, there was no way her parents would see her like this.  
"I love you guys," she said, as she headed out to her friends' boyfriends' car. She jumped in and they took off. She pulled her jacket off and started to do her make-up.  
"Girl, we are going to have fun tonight," her friend, Julie, said from the passenger seat.  
"You bet we are baby," Julie's boyfriend, Damon, said to Julie.  
"Where are we going?" Jessica asked, applying very dark, black eyeliner.  
"Jameson is having a party out at his lake house. We're going there," Julie informed her.  
"Awesome," Jessica said.  
"Oh, and Jess," Damon said to her.  
"Yeah?"  
"I have a friend that wants to, uh, 'meet' you," he said with a cocky grin.  
"Can't wait," She said.  
When we arrived at the party, a lot of people were there. It was wild, too, there were people dancing all over each other and drinking and smoking pot...maybe even harder stuff. She walked past a couple in the corner that was half-undressed, and getting more and more naked by the second. She grabbed a beer and started drinking it, gulping it down. She grabbed another and downed it, too. She was on her fourth when a guy came up to her and said, "You're Jessica, right?"  
"Yeah, that's me," she said.  
"You're hotter than Damon said you were, I'm Andrew," he told her.  
"Thanks," she said over the music.  
"Do you want to go upstairs?" he asked, putting his hand on my thigh. It sent chills up my spine.  
"Yeah, let me grab another beer," she said, finishing the one in her hand and grabbing another. "Do you want one?"  
"Yeah," he reached past her and grabbed one. "Lead the way," he said.  
  
She walked in front of him, his hands on her waist, and when she stopped walking, there was no space between their bodies. She opened the door to a room and closed it after he followed her in.  
"So what did you want to come up here for?" she asked.  
"I'll give you one guess," he said, moving closer. He put his arms around her waist and pulled her to him. He started kissing her neck and his hands started to roam. She loved it. She wanted more, and more, and she got it, too.  
  
When Jessica and Andrew finished, she got dressed and went back downstairs. She looked for Julie but couldn't find her. She was probably in a room upstairs with Damon; those two took forever. She looked around for someone she knew. She knew no one.  
She looked at her watch, it was getting late and she was starting to get drunk. She left a note on Damon's car and grabbed her jacket and walked home.  
When she got there, the place was swarming with cops. Oh, great, they called the cops on me, she thought. She went inside and said, "Mom, I'm home! I'm fine," but a cop with a solemn face greeted her.  
"Miss Edmonds, please sit down," he said.  
She froze, "What happened?"  
"Sit down, please," he said.  
"No! What happened," she demanded.  
"Your parents, they were in an accident. I'm sorry, Jessica, but they didn't make it," he said. 


	18. Miracles

Hope you like the last chapter. I know it might have been confusing, but it will make since later, I promise.  
  
"Well, Manny, since you had a miscarriage, we need to do an ultrasound, you know just to see if everything is fine," the doctor told her.  
"Alright," she nodded.  
Manny lay down on the table and the woman began the ultrasound.  
"How long ago did you have your miscarriage," she asked.  
"About a week maybe more," she said.  
"Huh," she said, thinking.  
"What's that mean?"  
"Have you had sex since then?"  
"No, why? What's wrong with me?" Manny was getting scared.  
"Manny, you're still pregnant," the doctor told her.  
  
Jessica's heart sank. Her parents had died? She cringed, while she was having sex with a stranger? She started bawling her eyes out. She couldn't quit crying.  
"Jessica," a woman said, sitting next to her. "My name is Sandra, I'm from social services. It's my understanding that you were adopted?"  
She nodded.  
"Since there are no relatives, we must send you to live with your birth mother."  
Jessica was too upset to think.  
  
Paige was sitting in the living room of her house when the phone rang. She answered it, noting that the caller ID said the call was coming from Florida.  
"Hello, this is Paige Steele," she said.  
"Hi, Mrs. Steele, this is Sandra Jenson, from the Florida Department of Social Services," the woman on the other end said.  
"Yes," Paige said.  
"It was my understanding that you gave up a daughter for adoption? To the Edmonds family? Am I correct?"  
"Yes," Paige repeated.  
"In your contract here it says that if anything happened to her adoptive parents the child in question would be sent to live with you," she continued.  
Paige's heart fluttered as she said, "Yes."  
"Well, the poor girls adoptive parents died in a tragic car accident. What would be a good time to send her to you?"  
"You talk of her as if she is a package, she's a person, Miss Jenson," Paige said.  
"I'm sorry, Mrs. Steele. In my job it is best if we try not to get too emotionally attached, I'm sure you understand."  
"Yes, I do. Do I need to come and get her?"  
"Well, her parents funeral is tomorrow. There is a flight ticket available going from Florida to California for later that afternoon."  
"That would be fine, thank you," Paige said goodbye to the woman and hung up the phone. How would she explain this to her husband? 


	19. Changing

Thank ya'll for the great reviews. I know all of you want to know what's wrong with Emma, but just be patient and see...dun, dun, dun. Lol.  
  
Manny wasn't sure she heard her right. "What?"  
"You're still pregnant, we must have made a mistake," she explained. "You see, when women who are in the early stages of their pregnancy start hemorrhaging, bleeding, they usual end up miscarrying. But this baby of yours is strong, it has to be in order to have survived that fall. Congratulations, Manny," she said.  
Manny felt tears of joy sting her eyes. "You mean, I didn't lose the baby?"  
"Would you like to see for yourself?" the woman turned the monitor a little so Manny could see.  
Manny smiled widely through her tears as she looked at the monitor, "that's my baby," she said. "My little baby."  
"You're a very lucky woman, Mrs. Manning," the doctor informed her.  
"Lucky isn't the word."  
  
Jessica stepped off the plane and was met by a blond woman, about her height, maybe a little taller wearing a long black skirt and a white tank top.  
"Jessica?" the woman asked.  
"I guess you're Paige," Jessica answered, removing her sunglasses.  
"Yes," Paige said.  
"Hi," Jessica managed to choke out.  
"How are you holding up?" Paige asked her.  
"I'm okay," Jessica said. She refused to admit that her parents were dead. She told herself that they were on a vacation, and they would be back for her very soon.  
  
I sat nervously in the doctor's office, waiting for the results of my blood test to come back. I didn't want to be here, but I knew I had to. But I also had to know what was going on with me.  
"Miss Nelson?" the doctor said, coming into the room.  
"Yes," I said, looking at the tiled floor.  
"I have some news for you," he said. "You're test results came back fine. However, there was something that we found..."  
My head shot up.  
"You're pregnant."  
"No," I said.  
"I'm sorry, but you are."  
"No...that can't be, I haven't..." I stopped, remembering what had happened with Sean.  
  
I'm sorry for such a short chapter. There will be more coming soon, I promise. 


	20. Caught in action

I know, I know. Some of you don't like that Emma is pregnant. But it's the only thing I think that could bring the two together. Also, Jessica is wild for a reason. I wonder who can guess what the reason is?  
  
Manny walked into her house and hugged Craig around the neck.  
"What was that for?" he asked, laughing.  
"I'm still pregnant! I didn't lose the baby!"  
"What? Are you sure?"  
"Positive. I saw her this afternoon."  
"Her? It's a girl?"  
She nodded, smiling. "I'm so happy!"  
  
Jessica had lived with Paige for about two weeks. She was getting used to being waited on hand and foot by her own personal servant. But Paige was being really cool about everything. She gave Jessica space to let her be herself. She let her dress in clothes that she would have had to sneak out in normally. It was cool. She had freedom. But Paige drew the line at some things, like the tattoo Jessica had been wanting forever.  
Jessica had sort of been 'seeing' this guy since she began school in Cali. His name was Angel, and he was really sweet. They hadn't gotten 'there' yet, but she had a feeling that they would. Which is why she invited him over after school. Paige and Jason were out to dinner and she could sneak him upstairs. So that's what she did.  
"Wow, you have a nice room," Angel said, following Jessica in.  
"Thanks. I guess Paige wants to buy my love or something," they sat on the bed.  
"Must be nice," he said.  
She nodded. Her eyes gave him a seductive gaze as their faces drew closer. He kissed her, gently at first, as if testing out what she liked, then harder, more urgent and passionate. She hadn't felt a kiss like that in a long time. He wrapped his arms around her, and she took the initiative to lie back gently to send her message. With him on top of her, she pulled his shirt off, kissing him harder. His hands slid under her shirt, feeling her warm satiny skin. He pulled her shirt off. Then he stopped.  
"Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked.  
He was the first person to ask her that, she answered with a nod and said, "Yes, I **want **you," as she pulled him closer, kissing him more deeply.  
They were caught up in passion and desire so much that neither of them saw the figure standing in the doorway until they heard someone say, "What the hell is going on here?"  
  
It had been weeks and I still haven't told Sean about the baby. I don't want him to feel obligated to do anything. But I was starting to show. And he was starting to ask.  
This particular night, he came right out and said, "Emma, are you pregnant?"  
"Yes," I said, nodding. "I didn't want to burden you. I'm sorry."  
He put his arms around me. "You're not burdening me. I want you to marry me."  
Tears came to my eyes, as I said, "No, I can't I know the divorce with Spinner is official and all, but I can't let you marry me under these circumstances. I want it to be because you love me. Not because you got me knocked up."  
"I do love you. And I'm not marrying you just because of the baby. I was going to ask you anyway. I just didn't know of the right time."  
I nodded in agreement. "I want to marry you. But not until after the baby is born."  
"Okay," he kissed me.  
  
Paige stood in the doorway of her daughter's bedroom, surprised and angry at what she had found her doing. She was fourteen!  
"Paige, I can explain," Jessica said, bolting up and pulling her shirt over her head.  
"You damn well better," Paige said.  
"Mrs. Steele, it wasn't her fault," Angel said.  
Jessica's heart melted, he was so sweet!  
"But it wasn't completely yours either," Paige said, moving in closer.  
"Paige, please don't be mad at me...I was just..."  
"I'm not mad. But I do think he should go," Paige said. "We need to talk."  
Jessica patted Angel on the arm and nodded.  
"She'll call you," Paige said as he headed out the door. "Close the door behind you!"  
He obeyed.  
"Paige, I'm sorry. I didn't think you were home," Jessica started.  
"Jason canceled on me," Paige explained. "You're fourteen, Jessica. Thank God I got here when I did or you might have..." a thought crossed Paige's mind. What if she already had?  
Jessica hung her head. "I'm sorry, Paige."  
"Jess, look at me. You don't have to be sorry. I just want to talk about this."  
Jessica raised her head a little.  
"Have you had sex before?" Paige asked.  
Jessica's heart was beating so fast she could have sworn Paige could hear it. She nodded as she said, "Yeah."  
Paige wondered what kind of parents she had had. "When?"  
"Which time?" Jessica regretted the question as soon as she said it.  
Paige's eyes widened. "How many times have you have sex?"  
"I don't know," Jessica whispered.  
Paige took a deep breath and exhaled. "How many guys?"  
Jessica waited a minute, silently counting. "Ten, maybe a few more. I can't really remember, a few times I was pretty... smashed."  
"Are you on any form of birth control?"  
Jessica shook her head no.  
"Not ever?"  
"I didn't really see the need. I mean, I know I'm young but people think I'm older. So I guess I could fit in that way and I never got around to using contraceptives."  
"How old was that guy?" Paige knew he couldn't be fourteen.  
Jessica took a deep breath. "Seventeen."  
"Does he know your fourteen?"  
She said, "no."  
"Why are you being reckless? This is dangerous, Jessica."  
"Because this is the way I am," Jessica's tone matched Paige's.  
Paige sighed. "Do you have feelings for this guy?"  
"I think I'm starting to."  
"I won't forbid you to see him. And as much as I'd like to, I can't forbid you to have sex. But I CAN take you to the health department and get birth control. And I will, tomorrow afternoon."  
Jessica nodded, surprised she got off so easily. 


	21. What?

Yusef-mumtaz, I know that Paige let Jessica off to easily, but there is a reason for that. and, you all will have a surprise coming up in this chapter.  
  
Jessica sighed and slid down further in her seat at the health department, embarrassed to be there. When the nurse called her back, they did a pap smear (gross) and a blood test, to see if she had any STD's. "I've already been tested," she said.  
"This is just a precaution, Jessica," the nurse said.  
Jessica sighed again. "Why are you making me do this? It's embarrassing," Jessica emphasized the word embarrassing.  
"It's for your own good. If you think this is hard, you should have seen what Spinner would have done if he had caught you. I would have hated to see that," Paige shivered, imagining it.  
"Spinner? Is that my dad?"  
"Yes," Paige nodded.  
The nurse walked in and sat down in front of the two girls. "Jessica, would you like me to say this in front of your mom?"  
Jessica's heart started pounding. She nodded silently.  
"We found some abnormalities in your blood work," the nurse said.  
"Am I pregnant?" Jessica asked, terrified.  
"No."  
Jessica sighed a sigh of relief.  
"You have gonorrhea," the nurse said gently.  
  
Spinner had returned to his New York home. He had gotten the call from Paige that said that their daughter would be coming to live with her. He knew he should go see her, but he didn't really want to. He had never wanted kids anyway. Vanessa wasn't his; he had known that from the beginning. But Brock had been a mistake. He had tried to get Emma to get an abortion, but she refused. That's when he gave up on his marriage and started having an affair. He buried himself in his work, to have an excuse to be distant from the three of them. And Sylvia was awesome. She was hot, and passionate, like fire. Emma had never been that good in bed. But the fun decreased when Sylvia had gotten pregnant. He talked her into aborting the baby, but things hadn't been the same since. He knew it was time to choose someone. But the only one he wanted was the one he couldn't have. Paige.  
  
"Gonorrhea?" Jessica asked desperately, "Please tell me that's a type of head cold."  
"I'm afraid not. It's an STD. it's treatable," she said.  
"I can't have an STD, I was tested right before my parents died and I haven't..." Jessica's words died on her lips. "Andrew," she whispered. He did this to her.  
Tears fell down Jessica's cheeks as the nurse gave her the treatment and her first birth control shot. She wiped them away with a nervous hand.  
Out in the car, Paige said, "Are you okay, Jess?"  
Jessica nodded silently. "I can't believe he would do this to me."  
"Maybe he didn't know," Paige offered.  
Jessica looked at Paige. "You won't tell anyone about this, will you?"  
Paige shook her head. "Of course not, it's just between us."  
"Thank you."  
"But promise me something, Jessica. Promise me you will quit being reckless. Do you see what I mean about it being dangerous? You're lucky you didn't get AIDS."  
"I promise." 


	22. Maybe I was wrong

Jessica heaved a big sigh and plopped down on her bed. She was scolding herself for being so stupid. She didn't want to tell Angel about this. She cared about him. She even thought she loved him, if there is such a thing. But how could she have messed up this big? Getting and STD? This is one road she hoped she would never have crossed, but she did. Thank God it was treatable.  
Paige softly knocked on her daughter's door before coming in. "Are you feeling okay?"  
"Fine, just fine," Jessica muttered.  
"Jessica, tell me something," Paige sat down on Jessica's bed. "Why are you doing this to yourself?"  
"Because I'm not hurting anyone but me."  
"That's not true," Paige said.  
"Well, I learned my lesson okay?"  
"I don't think you have."  
"Why is that?"  
"Because of your attitude. Why are you willing to give yourself away to just anybody? Doesn't your body mean anything to you? Don't you have any respect for yourself?"  
"What is there to respect?" Jessica snapped. "I'm an orphan slut that's going no where!"  
"You're not a slut, and you're not an orphan, you have me!"  
  
"That's why you gave me up, right?" Jessica's voice was pure anger.  
Paige's eyes stung with shocked realization. "Oh, Jessica, I didn't want to give you up, I wanted to keep you so badly. Spinner wouldn't let me."  
"If you had wanted me, Spinner wouldn't have stopped you," Jessica hissed bitterly.  
Paige knew it was true.  
  
I sat down on my bed, sorting through the bills. I sighed, dreading how much three kids would cost. Maybe it would be better if Sean and I married right away. Better for everyone involved, I mean. I don't know what I was thinking. I couldn't let my children see me pregnant but not married. What impression would that give them?  
  
"Are you shocked that I figured it out, Paige?" Jessica said in bitter disgust.  
"Jessica," Paige said. "That is not true. I wanted you so badly, but I was afraid, okay? I was so scared...I was young; I didn't know a damn thing about being a mother. Spinner sure didn't help support my decision to keep you. He refused to allow it. I hated him for making me give you up, and I'm so sorry for the pain it caused you." A tear fell from Paige's eye.  
"I don't believe you. You chose open adoption, but you never came to see me. I never got one letter! You never cared about me. Just leave me the hell alone!" Jessica ran from the room and out the front door. 


	23. Run away

Jessica walked down the streets, not letting herself cry. She refused to cry. She was so angry, and mad at Paige for abandoning her. She bumped into someone, she looked up.  
"Hi, Angel," she said blankly.  
"Hey, Jess. What's wrong?"  
"I got into an argument with Paige, that's all," she ran her fingers through her red-streaked hair.  
"It wasn't about the other night, was it?" He asked, concerned.  
"No, not really."  
"Come on, let's go to my house. We can talk," he held out his hand and she followed him.  
  
I wanted to talk to Sean. So I called him and asked him to come over and he said that he would. I was in the middle of cooking supper when he came.  
"Hi, Emily," I smiled at her. "Vanessa's in her room if you want to go play with her."  
She ran to Vanessa's room, her pigtails bobbing up and down.  
"Hey, what did you want to talk about?" Sean asked, giving me a hug.  
"Maybe we shouldn't wait so long to get married," I said.  
He nodded.  
"I mean, pretty soon it will be obvious that I'm having a baby and what are my kids going to think? I don't think it would set a very good example for them."  
"I think you're right."  
  
Angel unlocked his house.  
"Are you're parents home?" Jessica asked.  
"They're dead," Angel said quietly. "I live by myself."  
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know."  
"It's okay," he lead her into the house. It was small, but kept up pretty well. They sat down on the couch. "What were you two fighting about?" Angel asked.  
"I don't know. She was mad about catching us the other night, I guess. And she wanted to know why I did this to myself and I just got really mad at her. Some words were exchanged, and I left."  
"Are you going back?" he asked.  
"Not tonight, maybe tomorrow. I need to find a hotel or something to stay at," Jessica said.  
"You could stay here," Angel offered.  
"No," she said. "I can't impose on you like that."  
"It's okay, you're not imposing," he laughed. "Come on, it's better than sleeping on a park bench."  
Jessica thought about it for a minute. "I have a confession to make first."  
"Okay," Angel said slowly.  
Jessica took a deep breath. "I'm fourteen...almost fifteen, but still fourteen...I'm sorry for not telling you before, but I liked you. I didn't think you would give me a chance if you knew."  
"It's okay," he said after a moment of hesitation.  
  
Spinner's conscious was bugging him beyond belief. He knew that his daughter was finally in reach. He should at least go see her. He sighed and picked up the phone. He made immediate flight arrangements to California.  
  
Paige looked at her watch. It was eleven o'clock and Jessica hadn't been back yet. She was starting to worry; they didn't exactly live in a safe town. What if someone had picked her up? What if she had been kidnapped? She knew she should call the cops, but if she did then Jessica would be taken away from her. Paige couldn't let herself let that happen. If Jessica wasn't back by morning, she was calling the police.  
  
"Are you mad at me? We're still friends, right?" Jessica asked.  
His heart sank, friends? "No, I'm not mad at you. And yes, we're still friends," he answered.  
"Good, because you're a really cool guy and I would hate to lose you. I mean lose your friendship."  
She was all over me the other night and now she's saying that we're just friends? What kind of idiot am I? He nodded.  
There was a long moment of silence.  
"Well, I guess I should be going to bed," he said half-heartedly.  
"Yeah," Jessica said. "Me too."  
"I'll go get some blankets, you can have the bed," he started down the hallway.  
"Wait," Jessica said.  
He turned, "Yeah?"  
She stopped herself. "I'll sleep on the couch."  
"No, that's okay."  
"No really."  
"Jessica," he said. "Quit being stubborn and let me have the couch."  
She laughed. "Alright, your loss." 


	24. No longer a baby

To Laia: I have never seen the glass house, so I don't know what you're talking about. If that scene is from somewhere else, then I apologize. But I did not do it intentionally and I don't appreciate you saying I would steal something from anyone. To the people who didn't criticize, thank you for the good reviews.  
  
I lay in my bed, thinking. I know it sounds terrible, but I'm not ready for another kid. It was everything I could do to keep the two I have. But this baby...it couldn't have come at a worse time. I just had to trust in God that everything would be okay.  
  
Manny had been so happy since she realized that she was still pregnant. Craig and her had been getting along ever since. She couldn't stop smiling. It was like, this baby was the key to her marriage being saved. It was her miracle baby.  
  
It was nine in the morning, and Jessica hadn't been home yet. Paige was really getting worried. She picked up the phone and started to dial the number for the police station. That's when the door opened, and Jessica walked in, followed by Angel.  
"Jessica, where have you been? You can't just go running off like that," Paige said sternly.  
"Paige, I can do what I want. Besides, I needed some air. I stayed at Angels last night."  
Paige's eyes widened.  
"No...we didn't..."  
"I think you should go to your room."  
"Paige," Jessica protested.  
"You heard me, Jessica," Paige said in a warning tone.  
Jessica sighed and walked the stairs to her bedroom.  
"She is fourteen years old," Paige said in disgust. "You have no right to be with her."  
"With all due respect, Mrs. Steele," Angel said. "I have feelings for your daughter. I care about her a lot. I'm not going to quit seeing her because of an age difference."  
"She's practically a baby, and you're almost eighteen," Paige argued. "I've tried to be cool about it, but I can't condone her behavior anymore. I'm sorry, but I think you are too old for her. She needs to find someone her own age."  
"Mrs. Steele, Jessica isn't a baby anymore. Maybe she wants you to realize that," he said before turning and walking out the door.  



	25. Authors note

I am sorry to say, but I have decided for this story to come to an end. But don't worry, there should be a sequel coming. I appreciate all of the wonderful support you all have given me. Thank you very much, and the sequel will be good, I promise! 


	26. Back again

Due to popular demand, I have decided to restart this story. I hope you like it, but it will take a while to get into the habit of writing the drama again. I'm going to pick up where I left off. But the Sean and Emma storyline has been bugging me, I was rereading this story and their...romance, has become so bland. So I'll stay away from them for a while, and if you have any suggestions, feel free to tell me! And don't FLAME ME!

Paige thought about what Angel had said. He was right, Jessica wasn't a little girl anymore, but she was still very young. Who did he think he was? He was too old for Jessica, and Paige could see right through it. All he wanted was someone who was easy. Now, that's a horrible thing to think about your own daughter, but it was true. Paige climbed the stairs to Jessica's room and knocked on the door.

"Go away!" was the reply she got.

She opened the door and closed it behind her instead. "We need to talk."

"I think you've said enough."

"No, I don't think so." She sat down on Jessica's vanity stool. "We really need to talk, Jessica."

"Then talk, I'm not stopping you."

"First of all, stop with the attitude."

Jessica sat up on her bed and sighed. "Fine."

"Now, I really think Angel is too old for you. Maybe you should find someone your own age? I have this friend of mine whose boy is just as sweet as can be, and he's your age and—"

"I don't want anybody else but him, Paige," Jessica said, her voice stiff. "I know my reputation makes this look bad, but Angel isn't like the rest of the guys I've 'been' with. When we were fooling around the other night, you know what he said right before you came in?"

Paige sighed. "No, what?"

"He said, 'Are you sure?'. Do you know how many people have ever asked me that?"

"How many?"

"None. He was the first one who cared enough to wonder if I was ready, let alone ask if it was okay. Most guys just assume that if you don't say no its okay. But he didn't. That says something."

Paige rested her head in her hands and sighed. "I don't know what to do, Jessica, this parenting thing is new to me and-no matter what I do-I screw up either way. If I'm cool and let you have your way, you sleep around. If I'm not, then I'm some monster and you hate Me." she wiped tears from her cheeks.

"I don't hate you, Paige," Jessica told her, moving next to her. "And I'm not going to sleep around anymore. I know that its wrong and stupid, and I got an STD from it. I've learned my lesson okay? And even if I do sleep with Angel, it won't be until the STD is gone, which may take awhile."

"Jessica, I'm worried that you're going to get hurt—" They were interrupted by the ringing of the doorbell downstairs, and then the maid saying, "Mrs. Steele! Visitor!"

Paige sighed, "We'll talk about this later." She went downstairs and about stopped in her tracks. "Spinner? What are you doing here?"

Angel walked down the street, wondering what had been going on with Jessica. _First she's all over me_, he thought to himself. _Then she says we're just friends? Does she know how much she's hurt me? It was everything I could do not to grab her and kiss her last night. But that would have been so insensitive. _He heard someone say, "Angel-Eyes!" He stopped. Only one person had ever called him that. He turned around. He was right.

A girl with short blond hair came walking toward him. "Max, what do you want?" he asked her.

"Relax, baby, I just wanted to see you," she said, kissing him and wrapping her arms around his neck.

He grabbed her wrists, and pushed her away. "Stop it."

"Don't you want me anymore, Angel?"

"Max, I told you, I have Jessica."

"Oh right, the little slut from Florida? You know what I heard about her?" She screamed. "She has an STD, from sleeping around. Did you know that? Did your **_precious Jessica_** tell you that?"

"You're lying, Max, she doesn't. She's pure, she hasn't slept around."

Max started crying. "She's got you fooled, Angel. She doesn't want you like you want her! She just wants to have sex, then she'll be gone!"

"She isn't like that!" Angel yelled.

"I love you, Angel," she put her hand on his face. "You were my first and you can just walk away from me for some slut?"

"She isn't a slut, quit calling her that!" Angel took a step back. "I don't know where you heard this from, or why you even bothered telling me, but—"

"I volunteer at the health department, remember? I was there when Jessica went to get tested, and I saw the records. She's on the shot…and she has Gonorrhea." Her voice was calm, but she was still crying. She bit her lip to try to stop but it didn't work.

Angel just stood there for a minute, not knowing who or what to believe. "Even if what you're saying is true, it doesn't matter. I love her, and she loves me."

"Who are you kidding, Angel-Eyes? Even if she does love you, she couldn't _possibly_ love you as much as I do." Max walked toward him. "Don't leave me for her, please don't do this to us. We're meant to be together."

"Max, it's already over. I'm sorry."

"This isn't over, Angel-Eyes. By the time I get done with that little slut, she'll wish she'd never been born."

"You said our daughter was here," Spinner said quietly. "I was hoping I could see her."

Paige stood in shock. "You should have called…Jason doesn't like it when I have guests without telling him."

"What is he, your father?" Spinner asked. "I dare him to make me leave."

"Spin, please," Paige said, touching his arm. There was a minute of silence where they both wanted to kiss on another. But Paige said, "Um—Jessica is upstairs."

"Jessica? I thought you named her Maria?"

"I did, they must have changed he name. Follow me," Paige turned her back to Spinner and tried to regain her composure as she walked up the stairs.

Paige knocked on the door. "Jessica, someone's here to see you."

"Unless it's Angel, I don't want to see anyone!" Jessica shouted.

"Angel?" Spinner asked.

"I'll tell you later," Paige said. She opened the door anyway. "It isn't Angel, it's your dad."

Jessica sat up on her bed. Spinner noticed that she had been crying. She looked so unhappy, so devastated. Something inside of him told him it had nothing to do with her adoptive parents dying, it was something else. He silently wondered what he had done by making Paige give their daughter up.

Jessica didn't have much to say, and it looked like she definitely wanted to be alone.

"Honey, he's your father, please talk to him," Paige ventured.

"Paige, its okay," Spinner said. "Maybe some other time?"

She nodded in agreement and the two left the bedroom.

Later that night, Paige and Spinner sat on the couch of Paige's deluxe bedroom. "Who's Angel?" Spinner asked.

"This guy that Jessica has been seeing," Paige told him. "I think he's way too old for her."

"How old is he?"

"Seventeen."

"Well, that's not **_so_** bad. I mean, as long as she doesn't sleep with him or anything—" The look that Paige got on her face told him to stop. "Has she?"

"Slept with Angel? No," Paige answered.

"With anyone?"

Paige sighed. "Yes, she used to sleep around."

"She's fifteen!"

"Fourteen," Paige corrected him. "But I don't blame her. I mean, there's no telling _why_ she did it. Maybe she wanted attention that she didn't get from us because we gave her away. It's not anything to worry about anymore, she's learned her lesson."

"What makes you so sure?"

"She has Gonorrhea," Paige told him and winced, almost in fear, of how he would react.

He didn't yell or get angry like he used to. He just fell back against the arm of the couch and said, "God, what have we _done_ to our daughter?"

"There's still time to make things right, of course we can't reinstate her virginity but we can show her that she can get attention without sex."

"This Angel guy, does he make her happy?"

Paige stopped. She'd never even thought of that. What kind of mother was she? A new one, something answered from inside her. "I don't know, I never really thought of that. She keeps insisting that he's not after her for sex or that he's different. I think he does make her happy."

"Then let off about the age issue, it'll just be worse if you don't."

"You're right."


End file.
